The Factory (One-Shot)
by JustCallMeDisc0rd3r
Summary: Karloff had his element of Metal taken from him, and he has been sent to "The Factory", as affectionately named by Master Chen. What is "The Factory"? Hell if I know. But here is a one-shot about what it might be.


Karloff

I struggled mightily against the men with the painted faces but they were so much stronger than I realized.

And without my element I was no match for them.

But still I struggled, just to prove that I wasn't weak.

I wasn't going to bow to their will so easily.

Besides...

The only reason I was being sent to The Factory was because that filthy red ninja cheated me...

I didn't belong here...

He did...

The place they were escorting to smelled of damp rot and the waste of animals...

It was filthy and dark and horrid.

Not unlike my home in Russia...

I was not a lucky one...

And I hated that I was being transferred back into the squalor I had so surprisingly escaped.

But it would take more than darkness and an awful stench to break me.

They put me in chains first, then forcefully removing my metal cuffs.

"Won't be needing these." One of my escorts hissed, making sure to scrape off plenty of skin upon removal of my only weapons.

Then the spun me around and I was shoved into a stone wall.

"Get to work!" They demanded.

Then...

They left me alone.

I glared angrily at the rock in front of me.

"Work? What is Karloff supposed to work on!?"

I felt a soft tap on my shoulder, and I raised my hands to strike in my defense, but out came a small cry.

Feeble.

I turned to see a young woman, in chains as well, cringing in fear.

She was dirty and very thin, as if she hadn't been cleaned or fed in weeks.

I grimaced at her. "Why you touch Karloff...?"

She sniffled, wiping at her face with her wrist, then extending a hand out to me. "I-I'm...Eris...element of C-c-chaos..." She hiccuped. "At least...I-I was..."

I did not want to touch her, she was disgusting, but I shook her hand anyway.

"Why you touch me?" I repeated.

"To..." She stammered. "To get your attention...we..." She sighed. "We're supposed to dig...but they won't give us tools..." She held her hands out in the small bit of light provided to us. "They make us use our hands..."

And that was obvious.

Her hands were bloody and raw, fingernails split in half and some even missing.

"Oh..." I murmured, turning away.

"I don't know...what we're digging for...but...I know if we don't dig they'll kill us or worse..." She sniffled. "My brother was taken yesterday...that was his spot..."

She pointed to my feet.

I growled angrily. "This is not where Karloff should be!"

I punched the wall before me in my rage, but Eris reached up and took hold of my hand.

"Don't try and repent...they will hurt you..."

After some thought I decided to listen, and began to dig.

Even without my metal cuffs I had powerful hands.

The wall crumbled like dust beneath my fingers.

But Eris was not faring so easily.

"Why don't you take a break...?" I asked her. "Karloff will dig for you."

She looked up at me, wiping her bloody fingertips on her pants. "Th...thank you..."

And I did enough digging to make up for her slack.

I was not a particularly kind individual, but I could tell when someone needed to rest.

And as she rested she sung softly.

At first I did not understand...

But when I started to pay attention I realized she was speaking my language!

"Dobryy vecher, malyshi! Khryusha, syad', ne mel'teshi!

Dyadya Yura vam seychas zashpandorit svoy rasskaz:

Rasskazhu ya vam o tom, kak ya byl patsanom,

Filya, nu ne bud' skotom, ne sidi s raskrytym rtom!"

It was a lullaby from my childhood.

"Koroche, prygayte v krovat' budu ya shchas nachinat'!

V peredache "Spokoynoy nochi, malyshi!"

"Spokoynoy nochi, malyshi!"

"Spokoynoy nochi, malyshi!"

"Spokoynoy nochi". Khoy!"

I could feel tears stinging behind my eyes and I, of course, hid it well, but I did start to sing along with her.

I did so miss my childhood...

"Pomnyu, v detstve moya mat' nachala menya pugat',

Kogda ya lozhilsya spat' na krovat', yadryona mat',

Pela pesni pro volkov, pro chertey, pro upyr'kov.

Ya vnimal eyo slovam ya mochilsya po nocham,

Kak prisnitsya d'yavol vdrug - na posteli srazu krug."

Soon the made-up men were back again, and they were removing Eris's chains.

She blubbered and pleaded to them but they would not listen.

They drug her away by her bruised wrists.

Why?

I don't know...

I hoped she would be back.

Even under such awful circumstances...

It was good to have someone on your side.


End file.
